Eva Mendes Explains Her & Ryan Gosling’s Unspoken ‘Agreement’ for Her to Stop Acting to Raise Their Kids

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Ryan Gosling‘s fans have noticed Eva Mendes‘ absence from his red carpet events (including his iconic “I’m Just Ken” Oscars event), but the pair came to an unspoken “agreement” after welcoming their children for her to step away from acting to focus on motherhood, Eva explained during a recent TODAY appearance. Ryan, 43, and Eva, 50, share daughters Esmeralda and Amada together.

“It was almost just like a non-verbal agreement that it was like, ‘OK, he’s going to work, and I’m going to work. I’m just going to work here,'” Eva explained on Tuesday, March 26. “He went and he did his job. He just happens to be really good at his job. And he did it, and he came home.”

As for how it felt to stop auditioning to focus on raising her kids, Eva noted it was “like a no-brainer” for her. “I’m so lucky if I could have this time with my children,” she pointed out.

Eva Mendes opened up to TODAY about her now-partner Ryan Gosling:

“I’ve never experienced anything like that. The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it can be — and that means making his costars as best as they can be.” pic.twitter.com/HZCxAmVpJv

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 26, 2024

Ryan and Eva first met in 2011 on the set of their film, The Place Beyond the Pines. While rehashing how it felt working with the Canadian actor, the Miami native described how Ryan approaches his craft as an actor.

“I have never experienced anything like that. The way he works, his commitment to his craft, how he wants to make everything as best as it could be, and that means making his co-stars as best as they could be,” Eva explained. “But unfortunately, or fortunately, there is only one Ryan. So, I pretty much stopped just acting after that.”

Eva has been one of Ryan’s biggest cheerleaders throughout his career, while the Notebook actor has also shown gratitude and love for the mother of his children. In January, Eva slammed harsh critics over their insults about Ryan’s portrayal as Ken in Barbie.

“So proud of my man,” Eva wrote via Instagram at the time alongside a screenshot of a headline that called Ryan’s Ken a “cringe” portrayal. “So much hate when he took on this role. So many people trying to shame him for doing it. Despite all the #Notmyken ridicule and articles written about him, he created this completely original, hilarious, heartbreaking, now iconic character and took it all the way to [the] Oscars.”

Eva ended her post by pointing out how “beyond proud” she is to be “this Ken’s Barbie.”